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Train, care for, and have fun with your horse

If you're crazy about horses, this hands-on guide is all you need to giddy up and go. Featuring updates on breeds, boarding, nutrition, equipment, training, and riding, as well as new information on various equine conditions, this resource shows you how to keep your horse happy - and take your riding skills to the next level.

Discover how to
* Select the right horse for you
* Feed, groom, and handle your horse
* Recognize common horse ailments
* Have fun in the saddle
* Get involved in equestrian competitions

Average Customer Review: ( 47 customer reviews )
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Horses are complicated -- to understand, to buy or lease, to care for, to equip, to train and to handle. Audrey's book does a wonderful job explaining it all, and her love of these marvelous animals comes through on every page.

If you dream of horses, this is a book you must have!

-- Gina Spadafori, Universal Press Syndicate pet-care columnist, author of "Dogs For Dummies" and co-author of "Cats For Dummies" and "Birds For Dummies."

51 of 53 found the following review helpful:

Excellent Book For Beginners and All Around Horse Info.!Mar 02, 2001
By K. Perdue "oktobermoon2"
As I've gotten back into horseback riding, horse care, etc., after many years and am now starting over again... this book provided me with all the information I need to get started and covered every possible subject of horse care for the beginner. I found it to be reader-friendly, informative, and it is responsible in that it covers all the basics in not only riding and enjoying your horse or lesson experience, but also touched on all the topics of horse care, tack care, tacking up, mounting, tips on buying one's first horse, etc. It's a must read for those who are either getting back into riding, looking into purchasing or leasing a horse, or for the first time equestrian enthusiast. Buy the book...you won't be sorry!

23 of 23 found the following review helpful:

The best beginner horse book you can buyMay 15, 2004
By petsits.com "petsits.com"
My husband & I decided to buy horses on a whim, but we knew we'd have to do alot of learning before we were ready to buy our first horse. Out of the many (many, MANY) books we bought, this book clearly stood out. It taught us ALL the basics, and was a wonderful referrence guide for all our questions as we got through the first 3 years, going from boarding to moving out to our own land. This book is a MUST HAVE for beginners, and worth more than the asking price. When I lent it to my cousin, I counted the days (actually YEARS) until she gave it back - once a month there was something I wanted to look up quick!

For more advanced horse people, or casual rent-a-horse riders, this book may be too basic. It covers everything from care, to buying, to everything about owning a horse. Not advanced concepts, or anecotes, or riding styles, etc.

22 of 23 found the following review helpful:

All you need ot knowMar 31, 2000

What A GREAT book! This title tells you everything you need to know from tack, riding styles, riding aparrel and horse breeds. It explains things so simply a child could understand it but is not insulting to the reader. I love it and refer to it often. I have gone back to riding lessons and am leasing a horse because of the newfound confidence I have in my knowlege about horse flesh.At least I won't feel like a "dummy" anymore.

37 of 42 found the following review helpful:

Strong evidence of "horse sense."Mar 04, 2002
By Cortland Kirkeby
Having just turned 46, I find myself smack dab in the middle of my "Billy Crystal" phase. Although I don't have a pet bull suburban jogging companion, rescued from a cattle drive, I do feel the urge to realize a lifelong dream of getting actively involved with horses.

Horses For Dummies has proven to be an excellent guide, covering a variety of necessary topics from barn construction to horse shows to euthanasia.

To get some horse care experience without spending a fortune, I started volunteering for a local "Hippotherapy" therapeutic riding academy -- which I learned about from reading this book!

I've been reading this book compliments of my local library and will be purchasing my own copy soon. If you're just getting started, as I am, this book is excellent.

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